U.S. patent application number 16/616172 was filed with the patent office on 2020-05-07 for anti-human interleukin-2 antibodies and uses thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is INSTITUTE FOR BASIC SCIENCE POSTECH ACADEMY-INDUSTRY FOUNDATION. Invention is credited to Jun-Young LEE, Charles D. SURH.
Application Number | 20200140538 16/616172 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 64395794 |
Filed Date | 2020-05-07 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200140538 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SURH; Charles D. ; et
al. |
May 7, 2020 |
ANTI-HUMAN INTERLEUKIN-2 ANTIBODIES AND USES THEREOF
Abstract
Provided is an antibody that binds to human interleukin-2
(hIL-2), and more particularly to an anti-hIL-2 antibody that binds
specifically to a particular epitope of hIL-2, thereby inhibiting
the binding of the hIL-2 to CD25. The anti-hIL-2 antibody of the
subject matter binds specifically to a particular epitope of hIL-2,
thereby inhibiting the binding of the hIL-2 to CD25, thereby
minimizing expansion of Treg cells. In addition, it stimulates the
CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells that exhibit anti-tumor activity.
Thus, the anti-hIL-2 antibody of the present invention is useful as
a new anticancer therapeutic agent.
Inventors: |
SURH; Charles D.; (Poway,
CA) ; LEE; Jun-Young; (Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do,
KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INSTITUTE FOR BASIC SCIENCE
POSTECH ACADEMY-INDUSTRY FOUNDATION |
Daejeon
Gyeongsangbuk-do |
|
KR
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
64395794 |
Appl. No.: |
16/616172 |
Filed: |
May 25, 2018 |
PCT Filed: |
May 25, 2018 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/KR2018/005955 |
371 Date: |
November 22, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61K 2039/505 20130101;
C07K 2317/92 20130101; C07K 2317/565 20130101; C07K 2317/74
20130101; A61K 39/001156 20180801; C07K 16/246 20130101; A61K
39/3955 20130101; C07K 2317/76 20130101; C07K 16/2818 20130101;
A61P 35/00 20180101; C07K 2317/24 20130101; C07K 2317/33 20130101;
A61K 2039/55533 20130101; A61K 2039/55561 20130101; C07K 2317/55
20130101; A61K 2039/507 20130101; A61K 39/3955 20130101; A61K
2300/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
C07K 16/24 20060101
C07K016/24; C07K 16/28 20060101 C07K016/28; A61K 39/395 20060101
A61K039/395; A61P 35/00 20060101 A61P035/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 25, 2017 |
KR |
10-2017-0064815 |
Claims
1. An anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,
which binds specifically to human interleukin-2 (hIL-2), and
inhibits the binding of the hIL-2 to CD25.
2. The anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of
claim 1, wherein the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof comprises: a heavy-chain variable region
comprising a heavy-chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of
SEQ ID NO: 11, a heavy-chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid
sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12, and a heavy-chain CDR3 comprising the
amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13; and a light-chain variable
region comprising a light-chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid
sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14, a light-chain CDR2 comprising the amino
acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15, and a light-chain CDR3 comprising
the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16.
3. The anti-hIL-2 antibody of claim 2, wherein the antibody is a
chimeric or humanized antibody.
4. The anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of
claim 2, wherein the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof comprises: a heavy-chain variable region
comprising the amino acid sequence selected from the group
consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 3, 23, 28, 32, and 34; and a light-chain
variable region comprising the amino acid sequence selected from
the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 4, 24, 26, and 30.
5. The anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of
claim 4, wherein the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof comprises: a heavy-chain variable region of SEQ ID
NO: 3 and a light-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 4; a
heavy-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 23 and a light-chain
variable region of SEQ ID NO: 24; a heavy-chain variable region of
SEQ ID NO: 28 and a light-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 26; a
heavy-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 32 and a light-chain
variable region of SEQ ID NO: 30; or a heavy-chain variable region
of SEQ ID NO: 34 and a light-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO:
30.
6. The anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of
claim 1, wherein the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof induces expansion of CD8+ T cells and NK
cells.
7. A nucleic acid encoding the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof of claim 1.
8. A recombinant vector comprising the nucleic acid of claim 7.
9. A cell transformed with the recombinant vector of claim 8.
10. A method of producing an anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof, comprising culturing the cell of claim 9.
11. A complex comprising the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment of claim 1 and hIL-2, wherein the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment is bound to hIL-2.
12. A composition for preventing or treating cancer, which
comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof of claim 1 as an active ingredient.
13. The composition of claim 12, wherein the cancer is selected
from the group consisting of skin cancer, breast cancer, colorectal
cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, brain cancer,
esophageal cancer, gallbladder cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic
cancer, stomach cancer, uterine cervical cancer, thyroid cancer,
prostate cancer, and bladder cancer.
14. A bispecific antibody or antibody-drug conjugate comprising the
anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of claim
1.
15. A composition for preventing or treating cancer, which
comprises the bispecific antibody or antibody-drug conjugate of
claim 14 as an active ingredient.
16. The composition of claim 15, wherein the cancer is selected
from the group consisting of skin cancer, breast cancer, colorectal
cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, brain cancer,
esophageal cancer, gallbladder cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic
cancer, stomach cancer, uterine cervical cancer, thyroid cancer,
prostate cancer, and bladder cancer.
17. A co-administration composition for cancer treatment, which
comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof of claim 1 and an immune checkpoint inhibitor.
18. The composition of claim 17, wherein the immune checkpoint
inhibitor is an anti-CTLA-4 antibody or an anti-PD-1 antibody.
19. A composition for enhancing vaccine efficacy, which comprises
the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof claim 1
as an active ingredient.
20. A method for treating cancer, comprising administering a
composition comprising the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment of claim 1 to a subject in need thereof as an active
ingredient.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the cancer is selected from the
group consisting of skin cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer,
kidney cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, brain cancer, esophageal
cancer, gallbladder cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer,
stomach cancer, uterine cervical cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate
cancer, and bladder cancer.
22. A method for treating cancer, comprising administering to a
subject in need thereof a composition comprising a bispecific
antibody or antibody-drug conjugate comprising the anti-hIL-2
antibody or antigen-binding fragment of claim 1 as an active
ingredient.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the cancer is selected from the
group consisting of skin cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer,
kidney cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, brain cancer, esophageal
cancer, gallbladder cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer,
stomach cancer, uterine cervical cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate
cancer, and bladder cancer.
24. The method of claim 20, wherein the composition further
comprises an immune checkpoint inhibitor co-administered with the
anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the immune checkpoint inhibitor
is an anti-CTLA-4 antibody or an anti-PD-1 antibody.
26. A method for enhancing vaccine efficacy comprising
administering a composition comprising the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof claim 1 to a subject in need
thereof.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an antibody that binds to
human interleukin-2 (hIL-2), and more particularly to an anti-hIL-2
antibody that binds specifically to a particular epitope of hIL-2,
thereby inhibiting the binding of the hIL-2 to CD25.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays an
essential role in the survival, expansion and function of various
lymphocytes including Treg (Foxp3.sup.+ CD4.sup.+ regulatory T)
cells, natural killer cells (NK cells) and the like, which express
IL-2 receptor. Interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) is present as
high-affinity IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) and low-affinity IL-2 receptor
(IL-2R) depending on its affinity. The high-affinity IL-2 receptor
consists of three chains, IL-2R.gamma.c (CD132), IL-2R.beta.
(CD122) and IL-2R.alpha. (CD25), and the low-affinity IL-2 receptor
consists only of IL-2R.gamma.c and IL-2R.beta. chains (Boyman, O.,
et al., Nat Rev Immunol, 2012. 12(3): p. 180-90).
[0003] Since IL-2 stimulates CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells with
anti-tumor activity, it was clinically used in the US and Europe in
the 1990s for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and metastatic
renal cancer (Rosenberg, S. A., J Immunol, 2014. 192(12): p.
5451-8). However, IL-2 therapy was effective in only less than 10%
of cancer patients who received the therapy, and involved serious
side effects. This is because IL-2 administered has a very short
half-life in vivo and CD8 T cells and NK cells with anti-tumor
activity express the low-affinity IL-2 receptor, and thus
administration of a large amount of IL-2 is required. For this
reason, serious diseases of multiple organs are caused by vascular
leak syndrome and hypotension (Lotze, M. T., et al., J Immunol,
1985. 134(1): p. 157-66, Schwartz, R. N., et al., Oncology
(Williston Park), 2002. 16(11 Suppl 13): p. 11-20). Another problem
is that IL-2 administration induces a strong expansion of Treg
cells that express the high-affinity IL-2 receptor and that inhibit
anti-tumor immunity mediated by CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells
(Brandenburg, S., et al., Eur J Immunol, 2008. 38(6): p. 1643-53;
Facciabene, A., et al., Cancer Res, 2012. 72(9): p. 2162-71). A
method for overcoming these disadvantages of IL-2 therapy is to
extend the in vivo half-life of IL-2 and, at the same time,
selectively activate the CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells that
express the low-affinity IL-2 receptor. There have been many
attempts to do this, but there has been little success
(Arenas-Ramirez, N., et al., Sci Transl Med, 2016. 8(367): p.
367ra166).
[0004] Recently, modification of the amino acid residues of IL-2
that binds to the high-affinity IL-2 receptor has been proposed as
a solution. However, this method has a limitation in that it can
provide a modified IL-2 that has immunogenicity or susceptibility
to proteases that degrade an artificially introduced amino acid
sequence (Levin, A. M., et al., Nature, 2012. 484(7395): p.
529-33).
[0005] Accordingly, the present inventors have made extensive
efforts to develop a method that extends the in vivo half-life of
IL-2 without causing an unnatural modification of IL-2, and at the
same time, selectively activates the CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells
that express the low-affinity IL-2 receptor. As a result, the
present inventors have found that, when an anti-IL-2 monoclonal
antibody (mAb) having a particular specificity is bound to IL-2, it
selectively inhibits the binding of IL-2 to the high-affinity IL-2
receptor, thereby completing the present invention.
[0006] The information disclosed in the Background Art section is
only for the enhancement of understanding of the background of the
present invention, and therefore may not contain information that
forms a prior art that would already be known to a person of
ordinary skill in the art.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide an
anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which
binds specifically to human interleukin-2 (hIL-2), and inhibits the
binding of the hIL-2 to CD25.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
nucleic acid encoding the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof, a vector comprising the nucleic acid, a cell
transformed with the vector, and a method of producing an
anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof using the
same.
[0009] Still another object of the present invention is to provide
a composition and treatment method for preventing or treating
cancer, which comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof as an active ingredient.
[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
bispecific antibody or antibody-drug conjugate comprising the
anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, and a
composition and treatment method for preventing or treating cancer,
which comprises the bispecific antibody or antibody-drug conjugate
as an active ingredient.
[0011] A further object of the present invention is to provide a
co-administration composition and treatment method for cancer
treatment, which comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof and an immune checkpoint
inhibitor.
Technical Solution
[0012] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides
an anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that
comprises: a heavy-chain variable region comprising a heavy-chain
CDR1 comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11, a
heavy-chain CDR2 comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
12, and a heavy-chain CDR3 comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ
ID NO: 13; and a light-chain variable region comprising a
light-chain CDR1 comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
14, a light-chain CDR2 comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID
NO: 15, and a light-chain CDR3 comprising an amino acid sequence of
SEQ ID NO: 16.
[0013] The present invention also provides a nucleic acid encoding
the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, a
vector comprising the nucleic acid, a cell transformed with the
vector, and a method of producing an anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof using the same.
[0014] The present invention also provides a complex in which the
anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof is bound to
hIL-2.
[0015] The present invention also provides a composition and
treatment method for preventing or treating cancer, which comprises
the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof as an
active ingredient.
[0016] The present invention also provides a bispecific antibody or
antibody-drug conjugate comprising the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof, and a composition and treatment
method for preventing or treating cancer, which comprises the
bispecific antibody or antibody-drug conjugate as an active
ingredient.
[0017] The present invention also provides a co-administration
composition and treatment method for cancer treatment, which
comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof and an immune checkpoint inhibitor.
[0018] The present invention also provides the use of the
anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof for the
prevention or treatment of cancer.
[0019] The present invention also provides the use of the
anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof for the
preparation of a medicine for the prevention or treatment of
cancer.
[0020] The present invention also provides a composition for
enhancing vaccine efficacy, which comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody
or antigen-binding fragment thereof as an active ingredient.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 shows the results of testing the binding specificity
of a TCB2 monoclonal antibody against hIL-2.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows the in vivo immunostimulatory effect of a
hIL-2/TCB2 complex. FIG. 2A shows the results of analyzing the
frequency of immune cells; FIG. 2B shows the results of analyzing
the expression of CD44 and CD62L in CD4 and CD8 T cells; FIG. 2C
shows the results of experimental statistical analysis; and FIG. 2D
shows the effect of a hIL-2/MAB602 or hIL-2/TCB2 complex on
expansion of immune cells and the results of experimental
statistical analysis (**p<0.01, ***p<0.001 (unpaired t
test)).
[0023] FIG. 3 shows surface plasmon resonance curves obtained using
Biacore T100 for the affinities of anti-hIL-2 mAbs for hIL-2.
[0024] FIG. 4 shows the effect of a hIL-2/TCB2 complex against a
solid tumor (***p<0.001 (Two way ANOVA for day 12, unpaired t
test for day 14)).
[0025] FIG. 5 shows the effect of TCB2 mAb against a metastatic
tumor (***p<0.001 (unpaired t test)).
[0026] FIG. 6 shows the anti-tumor effect of a combination of a
hIL-2/TCB2 complex and tumor peptide therapy in B6F10 melanoma
models (***p<0.001 (Two way ANOVA)).
[0027] FIG. 7 shows the anti-tumor effect of a combination of a
hIL-2/TCB2 complex and an anti-CTLA-4 antibody in CT26 tumor models
(Balb/C colon cancer) (**p<0.01 (Two way ANOVA for day 17,
unpaired t test for day 24)).
[0028] FIG. 8 shows the anti-tumor effect of a combination of a
hIL-2/TCB2 complex and an anti-PD-1 antibody in MC38 tumor models
(B6 colon cancer) (*p<0.05, **p<0.01 (Two way ANOVA for day
19, unpaired t test for day 21)).
[0029] FIG. 9 shows the in vivo immunostimulatory of a hIL-2/hnTCB2
complex and the results of experimental statistical analysis.
[0030] FIG. 10 shows the anti-tumor effect of a combination of a
hIL-2/hnTCB2 complex and an anti-PD-1 antibody in MC38 tumor models
(B6 colon cancer) (*p<0.05, **p<0.01 (Two way ANOVA for day
19 and 22, unpaired t test for day 25)).
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms
used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs.
In general, the nomenclature used herein is well known and commonly
used in the art.
[0032] In the present invention, efforts have been made to develop
a method that extends the in vivo half-life of IL-2 without causing
an unnatural modification of IL-2, and at the same time,
selectively activates the CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells that
express the low-affinity IL-2 receptor. As a result, it has been
found that, when an anti-IL-2 monoclonal antibody (mAb) having a
particular specificity is bound to IL-2, it selectively inhibits
the binding of IL-2 to the high-affinity IL-2 receptor.
[0033] In one aspect, the present invention is directed to an
anti-hIL-2 antibody (referred to as "TCB2" in the specification) or
antigen-binding fragment thereof, which binds specifically to human
interleukin-2 (hIL-2) and inhibits the binding of the hIL-2 to
CD25.
[0034] As used herein, the term "human interleukin-2 (hIL-2)"
refers to a 133-amino-acid protein (15.4 kDa) having no substantial
sequence homology with any other factors.
[0035] As used herein, the term "CD25" refers to the IL-2R.alpha.
chain of IL-2 receptor. The IL-2 receptor is present as
high-affinity IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) and low-affinity IL-2 receptor
(IL-2R) depending on its affinity, and CD25 is a chain that is not
present in the low-affinity IL-2 receptor and is present only in
the high-affinity IL-2 receptor.
[0036] The term "antibody" as used in the invention refers to a
substance produced by the stimulus of an antigen in immune system
and its kinds are not particularly limited. Lately, the antibodies
have been widely used for treating diseases. As the antibodies are
very stable in vivo as well as in vitro and have a long half-life,
they are favorable for mass expression and production. Also, since
the antibody has intrinsically a dimer structure, it has a fairly
high avidity. An intact antibody has a structure with two
full-length light chains and two full-length heavy chains, and each
light chain is linked to each heavy chain via a disulfide bond. The
constant region of an antibody is divided into a heavy chain
constant region and a light chain constant region, and the heavy
chain constant region has gamma (.gamma.), mu (.mu.), alpha
(.alpha.), delta (.delta.) and epsilon (.epsilon.) types, and has
gamma1 (.gamma.1), gamma2 (.gamma.2), gamma3 (.gamma.3), gamma4
(.gamma.4), alpha1 (.alpha.1) and alpha2 (.alpha.2) as its
subclass. The light chain constant region has kappa (.kappa.) and
lambda (.lamda.) types.
[0037] The antibody in the invention may include an animal-derived
antibody, a chimeric antibody, a humanized antibody, or a fully
human antibody. An animal-derived antibody which is produced by
immunizing an animal with a desired antigen may generally trigger
an immune rejection response when administered to humans for
treatment purpose, and a chimeric antibody has been developed to
suppress such immune rejection response. A chimeric antibody is
formed by replacing the constant region of an animal-derived
antibody, which is a cause of an anti-isotype response, with the
constant region of a human antibody using genetic engineering
methods. The chimeric antibody has considerably improved
anti-isotype response in comparison with animal-derived antibodies,
but animal-derived amino acids are still present in its variable
regions and thus it still contains potential side effects resulting
from an anti-idiotypic response. It is a humanized antibody that
has been thus developed to improve such side effects. This is
manufactured by grafting CDRs (complementarity determining regions)
which, of the variable regions of a chimeric antibody, have an
important role in antigen binding into a human antibody
framework.
[0038] A "humanized antibody" as used herein includes a humanized
light chain variable domain immunoglobulin and a humanized heavy
chain variable domain immunoglobulin. The humanized antibody may
include a constant region partially or wholly derived from
(including synthetic analogs) one or more human gene sequence. A
humanized antibody is expected to bind to the same target antigen
as a donor antibody which supplied the CDRs. Typically, all
segments or portions of the humanized antibody or immunoglobulin,
with the exception of the CDRs, are substantially identical or
substantially homologous to corresponding segments or portions of
naturally occurring or consensus human immunoglobulin sequences. It
is important in CDR grafting technology for manufacturing a
humanized antibody to select an optimized human antibody which can
receive best the CDR of an animal-derived antibody and for this,
utilization of antibody database, analysis of crystal structure,
molecule modeling technology, etc. are employed. However, although
the CDR of an animal-derived antibody is grafted into an optimized
human antibody framework, there are a considerable number of cases
where antigen binding affinity is not preserved because there are
amino acids which affect antigen binding while being positioned at
the framework of the animal-derived antibody. In this regard, it
may be necessary to apply an additional antibody engineering
technology for restoring antigen binding affinity.
[0039] As used herein, the term "monoclonal antibody (mAb)" has the
same meaning as commonly used in the technical field to the present
invention pertains, and means an antibody that recognizes a single
epitope on an antigen to which it binds. This contrasts with a
polyclonal antibody which is a collection of different antibodies
that bind to the same antigen but bind to different epitopes of the
antigen. For this reason, a single antigen molecule can be bound
simultaneously by multiple polyclonal antibodies, but a particular
monoclonal antibody specific for the antigen can be bound by only
one molecule. After being bound by the single monoclonal antibody
molecule, the bound epitope is blocked, and thus can no longer be
bound by other monoclonal antibodies. The monoclonal nature of
antibodies is particularly suitable for use as therapeutic agents.
This is because these antibodies are single, homologous molecular
species, and thus can be very well characterized, can be produced
reproducibly, and purified. These factors make it possible to
produce products whose biological activity can be predicted with a
very high level of accuracy. These factors are particularly
important, because these molecules must obtain permission from
authorities for therapeutic administration to mammals, particularly
humans.
[0040] The term "heavy chain" as used herein may be interpreted to
include a full-length heavy chain including a variable region
domain VH including an amino acid sequence having a variable region
sequence sufficient to confer antigen-specificity, three constant
region domains CH1, CH2 and CH3, and a hinge, and a fragment
thereof. Also, the term "light chain" as used herein may be
interpreted to include a full-length light chain including a
variable region domain VL including an amino acid sequence having a
variable region sequence sufficient to confer antigen-specificity
and a constant region domain CL, and a fragment thereof.
[0041] In the present invention, the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof may comprise: a heavy-chain
variable region comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the
group consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 3, 23, 28, 32, and 34; and a
light-chain variable region comprising an amino acid sequence
selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 4, 24, 26, and
30. Preferably, the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof may comprise: a heavy-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 3
and a light-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 4; a heavy-chain
variable region of SEQ ID NO: 23 and a light-chain variable region
of SEQ ID NO: 24; a heavy-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 28
and a light-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 26; a heavy-chain
variable region of SEQ ID NO: 32 and a light-chain variable region
of SEQ ID NO: 30; or a heavy-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 34
and a light-chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 30.
[0042] As used herein, the term "complementarity determining region
(CDR)" refers to the amino acid sequence of the hypervariable
region of the heavy chain or light chain of immunoglobulin. Each of
the heavy and light chains may comprise three CDRs (i.e., a heavy
chain CDR1, a heavy chain CDR2, and a heavy chain CDR3; and a light
chain CDR1, a light chain CDR2, and a light chain CDR3). The CDR
may provide important contact residues for the binding of the
antibody to an antigen or an epitope.
[0043] In the present invention, the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof may comprise: a heavy-chain
variable region comprising a heavy-chain CDR1 comprising a DNA
sequence of SEQ ID NO: 5, a heavy-chain CDR2 comprising a DNA
sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, and a heavy-chain CDR3 comprising a DNA
sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7; and a light-chain variable region
comprising a light-chain CDR1 comprising a DNA sequence of SEQ ID
NO: 8, a light-chain CDR2 comprising a DNA sequence of SEQ ID NO:
9, and a light-chain CDR3 comprising a DNA sequence of SEQ ID NO:
10.
[0044] In the present invention, the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof may comprise: a heavy-chain
variable region comprising a heavy-chain CDR1 comprising an amino
acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11, a heavy-chain CDR2 comprising an
amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12, and a heavy-chain CDR3
comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13; and a
light-chain variable region comprising a light-chain CDR1
comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14, a light-chain
CDR2 comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15, and a
light-chain CDR3 comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
16.
[0045] As used herein, the term "specifically binding" has the same
meaning as generally known to a person of ordinary skill in the
art, indicating that an antigen and an antibody specifically
interact with each other to lead to an immunological response. In
the present invention, the human monoclonal antibody or its
fragment has the ability to discriminate human IL-2 (hIL-2) from
several other potential antigens. The discrimination is achieved
such that the monoclonal antibody or its fragment binds only or to
a significant extent to hIL-2 as a potential binding partner in a
pool of multiple different antigens. In this regard, "bind to a
significant extent to hIL-2" means that hIL-2 as a potential
binding partner in a pool of a plurality of equally accessible
different antigens binds with an affinity at least 10-fold,
preferably 50-fold, preferably 100-fold higher than antigens other
than hIL-2.
[0046] As used herein, the term "antigen-binding fragment," which
is a fragment of the full structure of an immunoglobulin, refers to
some of a polypeptide including a portion to which an antigen can
bind. For example, it may be a scFv, a (scFv).sub.2, a Fab, a Fab'
or a F(ab').sub.2, but is not limited thereto. Among the above
antigen-binding fragments, a Fab, which is a structure having the
light chain and heavy chain variable regions, the light chain
constant region, and the heavy chain first constant region (CH1),
has one antigen binding site. A Fab' differs from the Fab in that
the Fab' has a hinge region including at least one cysteine residue
at the C-terminal of the heavy chain C.sub.H1 domain. A
F(ab').sub.2 is produced when cysteine residues at the hinge region
of Fab' are joined by a disulfide bond. A Fv is a minimal antibody
fragment, having only heavy chain variable regions and light chain
variable regions, and a recombinant technique for producing the Fv
fragment is well known in the art. A two-chain Fv may have a
structure in which heavy chain variable regions are linked to light
chain variable regions by a non-covalent bond, and a single-chain
Fv may generally form a dimer structure as in the two-chain Fv,
wherein heavy chain variable regions are covalently bound to light
chain variable regions via a peptide linker or the heavy and light
chain variable regions are directly linked to each other at the
C-terminals thereof. The linker may be a peptide linker including 1
to 100 or 2 to 50 any amino acids, and proper sequences thereof
have been known in the art. The antigen-binding fragment may be
obtained using a protease (for example, a whole antibody can be
digested with papain to obtain Fab fragments, or can be digested
with pepsin to obtain F(ab').sub.2 fragments), or may be prepared
by a genetic recombinant technique. The antigen-binding fragment of
the antibody of the present invention may be a fragment including
one or more CRDs.
[0047] In the present invention, the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof may induce expansion of CD8.sup.+
T cells and NK cells. In an example of the present invention, it
was found that the anti-hIL-2 antibody according to the present
invention induced activation of CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells and
induced little expansion of Treg cells.
[0048] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a
nucleic acid encoding the anti-hIL-2 antibody or the
antigen-binding fragment thereof.
[0049] In the present invention, the nucleic acid encoding the
anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof may
comprise a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 25,
SEQ ID NO: 27, SEQ ID NO: 29, SEQ ID NO: 31 or SEQ ID NO: 33.
Specifically, the nucleic acid encoding the heavy chain of the
antibody according to the present invention may comprise a sequence
of SEQ ID NO: 27, 31 or 33, and/or the nucleic acid encoding the
light chain of the antibody according to the present invention may
comprise a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, 25 or 29.
[0050] The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of the
present invention may be recombinantly produced by isolating the
nucleic acid encoding an antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof. The nucleic acid is isolated and inserted into a
replicable vector to result in further cloning (amplification of
DNA) or further expression.
[0051] As used herein, the term "Nucleic acid" has a broad meaning
including DNA (gDNA and cDNA) and RNA molecules. Nucleotides, basic
elements of nucleic acids, include natural nucleotides as well as
analogues in which sugar or base sites are modified. The sequence
of the nucleic acid encoding the heavy and light chain variable
regions of the present invention may be modified. Such
modifications include the addition, deletion, or non-conservative
substitution or conservative substitution of nucleotides.
[0052] The nucleic acid of the present invention is interpreted to
include a nucleotide sequence that exhibits substantial identity to
the nucleotide sequence. The substantial identity means a
nucleotide sequence showing at least 80% homology, more preferably
at least 90% homology, and most preferably at least 95% homology by
aligning the nucleotide sequence of the present invention with any
other sequence as much as possible and analyzing the aligned
sequence using algorithms commonly used in the art.
[0053] The DNA encoding the antibody can be easily separated or
synthesized using conventional procedures (for example, using an
oligonucleotide probe capable of specifically binding to DNA
encoding the heavy chain and the light chain of the antibody).
[0054] In still another aspect, the present invention is directed
to a recombinant vector including the nucleic acid.
[0055] Many vectors are available. Vector components generally
include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: a
signal sequence, an origin of replication, one or more marker
genes, an enhancer element, a promoter, and a transcription
termination sequence.
[0056] The term "vector" as used herein, includes a plasmid vector;
a cosmid vector; a bacteriophage vector; and a viral vector, e.g.,
an adenovirus vector, retroviral vectors, and adeno-associated
viral vectors as a mean for expressing a target gene in a host
cell. The nucleic acid encoding the antibody in the vector is
operably linked to a promoter.
[0057] As used herein, the term "operably linked" refers to a
functional linkage between a nucleic acid expression control
sequence (e.g., an array of promoter, signal sequence, or
transcription regulation factor binding site) and another nucleic
acid sequence, and thus the control sequence controls the
transcription and/or translation of the other nucleic acid
sequence.
[0058] When a prokaryotic cell is used as a host, a strong promoter
capable of promoting transcription (such as a tac promoter, lac
promoter, lacUV5 promoter, lpp promoter, pL.lamda. promoter,
pR.lamda. promoter, rac5 promoter, amp promoter, recA promoter, SP6
promoter, trp promoter, and T7 promoter), a ribosome binding site
for initiation of translation, and a transcription/translation
termination sequence are generally included. Further, for example,
when a eukaryotic cell is used as a host, a promoter derived from a
genome of a mammalian cell (e.g., a metallothionein promoter, a
.beta.-actin promoter, a human hemoglobin promoter and a human
muscle creatine promoter) or a promoter derived from an mammalian
virus (e.g., adenovirus late promoter, vaccinia virus 7.5K
promoter, SV40 promoter, cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter, HSV tk
promoter, mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter, HIV LTR
promoter, epstein barr virus (EBV) promoter of moloney virus and
Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) promoter) can be used, and generally have
a polyadenylation sequence as a transcription termination
sequence.
[0059] Optionally, the vector may be fused with another sequence in
order to facilitate purification of an antibody expressed
therefrom. Fused sequences include, for example, glutathione
S-transferase (Pharmacia, USA), maltose binding protein (NEB, USA),
FLAG (IBI, USA), and 6.times.His (hexahistidine; Quiagen, USA).
[0060] The vector includes an antibiotic resistance gene commonly
used in the art as a selective marker, and may include, for
example, genes having resistance to ampicillin, gentamicin,
carbenicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, kanamycin, geneticin,
neomycin, and tetracycline.
[0061] In yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to
a cell transformed with the recombinant vector. Cells used to
produce the antibody of the present invention may be prokaryotic
cells, yeasts, or other higher eukaryotic cells, but are not
limited thereto.
[0062] In the present invention, as the transformed cell, the
prokaryotic host cell can be used, for example, a strain belonging
to the genus Bacillus such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis,
and Bacillus thuringiensis, Streptomyces, Pseudomonas (for example,
Pseudomonas putida), Proteus mirabilis, and Staphylococcus (for
example, Staphylococcus carnosus).
[0063] Meanwhile, interest in animal cells is greatest, and an
example of a useful host cell line may be, but is not limited
thereto, COS-7, BHK, CHO, CHOK1, DXB-11, DG-44, CHO/-DHFR, CV1,
COS-7, HEK293, BHK, TM4, VERO, HELA, MDCK, BRL 3A, W138, Hep G2,
SK-Hep, MMT, TRI, MRC 5, FS4, 3T3, RIN, A549, PC12, K562, PER.C6,
SP2/0, NS-0, U205, or HT1080.
[0064] In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a
method of producing an anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof, comprising culturing the cell, thereby expressing
the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof
according to the present invention.
[0065] The cells can be cultured in various media.
[0066] Commercially available media can be used as a culture medium
without limitation. All other essential supplements known to those
skilled in the art may be included in the appropriate
concentrations. Culturing conditions, e.g., temperature and pH have
already been used with the selected host cells for expression,
which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
[0067] When the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof is
recovered, impurities can be removed, e.g., by centrifugation or
ultrafiltration, and the resultant can be purified, for example, by
affinity chromatography. Additional purification techniques may be
used, such as anion or cation exchange chromatography, hydrophobic
interaction chromatography, and hydroxyl apatite
chromatography.
[0068] In a still further aspect, the present invention is directed
to a complex in which an anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof is bound to hIL-2.
[0069] In a yet further aspect, the present invention is directed
to an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) comprising a drug conjugated to
the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof.
[0070] An antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) requires that the
anticancer drug should be stably bound to the antibody before the
anticancer drug is delivered to target cancer cells. The drug
delivered to the target should be released from the antibody and
should induce death of the target cells. To this end, the drug
should be stably bound to the antibody and, at the same time,
should have enough cytotoxicity to induce death of the target cells
when being released from the antibody.
[0071] In the present invention, the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof and cytotoxic substances including
drugs such as anticancer drugs may be linked to each other by, for
example, a covalent bond, a peptide bond or the like, so that they
may be used as conjugates or fusion proteins (where cytotoxic
substances and/or labeling substances are proteins). The cytotoxic
substance may be any substance having toxicity against cancer
cells, particularly solid cancer cells, and may be one or more
selected from the group consisting of, but not limited to,
radioisotopes, cytotoxic compounds (small molecules), cytotoxic
proteins, anticancer agents, and the like. The cytotoxic proteins
may be one or more selected from the group consisting of, but not
limited to, ricin, saporin, gelonin, momordin, debouganin,
diphtheria toxin, and pseudomonas toxin. The radioisotopes may be
one or more selected from the group consisting of, but not limited
to, 131I, 188Rh, and 90Y. The cytotoxic compounds may be one or
more selected from the group consisting of, but not limited to,
duocarmycin, monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), monomethyl auristatin
F (MMAF), N2'-deacetyl-N2'-(3-mercapto-1-oxopropyl)maytansine
(DM1), and PBD (Pyrrolobenzodiazepine) dimer.
[0072] In the present invention, the antibody-drug conjugate may be
obtained according to a technique well known in the technical field
to which the present invention pertains.
[0073] In the present invention, the antibody-drug conjugate may be
one in which the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof is
bound to the drug by a linker.
[0074] In the present invention, the linker may be a cleavable
linker or a non-cleavable linker.
[0075] The linker is a region that connects between anti-hIL-2
antibody and the drug. For example, the linker is configured such
that it is cleavable under intracellular conditions, that is, the
drug can be released from the antibody through cleavage of the
linker in an intracellular environment.
[0076] The linker can be cleaved by a cleaving agent present in an
intracellular environment, for example, lysosome or endosome. The
linker may be a peptide linker that can be cleaved by intracellular
peptidase or protease enzyme, for example, lysosome or endosome
protease. Generally, the peptide linker has a length of at least
two amino acids. The cleaving agents may include cathepsin B,
cathepsin D, and plasmin, and are capable of hydrolyzing the
peptide to enable the drug to be released into target cells. The
peptide linker can be cleaved by thiol-dependent protease cathepsin
B which is highly expressed in cancer tissue. For example, the
linker that is used in the present invention may be a Phe-Leu or
Gly-Phe-Leu-Gly linker. In addition, the peptide linker may also be
a Val-Cit or Phe-Lys linker which is cleavable by, for example,
intracellular protease.
[0077] In the present invention, the cleavable linker is
pH-sensitive, i.e., sensitive to hydrolysis at certain pH values.
Typically, the pH-sensitive linker is hydrolyzable under acidic
conditions. For example, an acid-labile linker that is hydrolyzable
in the lysosome (e.g., a hydrazone, semicarbazone,
thiosemicarbazone, cis-aconitic amide, orthoester, acetal, ketal,
or the like) can be used.
[0078] The linker is cleavable under reducing conditions (e.g., a
disulfide linker). A variety of disulfide linkers can be formed
using SATA (N-succinimidyl-S-acetylthioacetate), SPDP
(N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate), SPDB
(N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio)butyrate) and SMPT
(N-succinimidyl-oxycarbonyl-alpha-methyl-alpha-(2-pyridyl-dithio)toluene)-
.
[0079] In the present invention, the drug and/or the drug-linker
may be conjugated randomly through the lysine of the antibody or
may be conjugated through a cysteine which is exposed when a
disulfide bond chain is reduced. In some cases, the linker-drug may
be bound through a cysteine present in a genetically engineered
tag, for example, a peptide or a protein. The genetically
engineered tag, for example, a peptide or a protein, may include an
amino acid motif that may be recognized by, for example, isoprenoid
transferase. The above-described peptide or protein has a deletion
at the carboxy terminus of the peptide or protein, or has an
addition at the carboxy (C) terminus of the peptide or protein
through covalent bonding to a spacer unit. The peptide or the
protein may be covalently bonded directly to the amino acid motif
or may be linked to the amino acid motif by covalent bonding to a
spacer unit. The amino acid spacer unit is composed of 1 to 20
amino acids, and is preferably a glycine unit.
[0080] The linker may include a beta-glucuronide linker which is
recognized and hydrolyzed by .beta.-glucuronidase which is present
in lysosomes or is highly expressed in some tumor cells. Unlike a
peptide linker, the beta-glucuronide linker has an advantage in
that it has high hydrophilicity, and thus can increase the
solubility of an antibody-drug conjugate when it is bound to a
highly hydrophobic drug.
[0081] In addition, the linker may be a non-cleavable linker. In
this case, the drug may be released through only a single step
(antibody hydrolysis), thus producing, for example, an amino
acid-linker-drug conjugate. This type of linker may be thioether or
maleimidocaproyl, and may maintain its stability in blood.
[0082] In the present invention, the drug may be a chemotherapeutic
agent, toxin, micro RNA (miRNA), siRNA, shRNA, or radioisotope. The
drug that is a formulation exhibiting a pharmacological effect may
be conjugated to the antibody.
[0083] The chemotherapeutic agent may be a cytotoxic agent or an
immune checkpoint inhibitor. Specifically, the chemotherapeutic
agent may include a chemotherapeutic agent capable of functioning
as a microtubulin inhibitor, a mitotic inhibitor, a topoisomerase
inhibitor, or a DNA intercalator. In addition, the chemotherapeutic
agent may include an immunomodulatory compound, an anticancer
agent, an antiviral agent, an antibacterial agent, an antifungal
agent, an antiparasitic agent, or a combination thereof.
[0084] The drug may be one or more selected from the group
consisting of, but not limited to, for example, maytansinoid,
auristatin, aminopterin, actinomycin, bleomycin, talisomycin,
camptothecin, N8-acetyl spermidine,
1-(2-chloroethyl)-1,2-methylsulfonyl hydrazide, esperamycin,
etoposide, 6-mercaptopurine, dolastatin, tricotecene,
calicheamycin, taxol, taxane, paclitaxel, docetaxel, methotrexate,
vincristine, vinblastine, doxorubicin, melphalan, mitomycin A,
mitomycin C, chlorambucil, duocarmycin, L-asparaginase,
mercaptopurine, thioguanine, hydroxyurea, cytarabine,
cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, nitrosourea, cisplatin, carboplatin,
mitomycin, dacarbazine, procarbazine, topotecan, nitrogen mustard,
cytoxan, etoposide, 5-fluorouracil, bischloroethylnitrosourea
(BCNU), irinotecan, camptothecin, bleomycin, idarubicin,
daunorubicin, dactinomycin, plicamycin, mitoxantrone, asparaginase,
vinorelbine, chlorambucil, melphalan, carmustine, lomustine,
busulfan, treosulfan, decarbazine, etoposide, teniposide,
topotecan, 9-aminocamptothecin, crisnatol, mitomycin C,
trimetrexate, mycophenolic acid, tiazofurin, ribavirin,
5-ethynyl-1-beta-dribofuranosylimidazole-4-carboxamide (EICAR),
hydroxyurea, deferoxamine, floxuridine, doxifluridine, raltitrexed,
cytarabine (ara C), cytosine arabinoside, fludarabine, tamoxifen,
raloxifene, megestrol, goserelin, leuprolide acetate, flutamide,
bicalutamide, EB1089, CB1093, KH1060, verteporfin, phthalocyanine,
photosensitizer Pe4, demethoxy-hypocrellin A, interferon-.alpha.,
interferon-.gamma., tumor necrosis factor, gemcitabine, velcade,
revamid, thalamid, lovastatin, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridiniumion,
staurosporine, actinomycin D, dactinomycin, bleomycin A2, bleomycin
B2, peplomycin, epirubicin, pirarubicin, zorubicin, mitoxantrone,
verapamil and thapsigargin, nuclease, and toxins derived from
bacteria or animals/plants.
[0085] In the present invention, the drug may include one or more
nucleophilic groups selected from the group consisting of amine,
thiol, hydroxyl, hydrazide, oxime, hydrazine, thiosemicarbazone,
hydrazine carboxylate and aryl hydrazide groups, which can react to
form covalent bonds with the linker and the electrophilic group on
a linker reagent.
[0086] In another further aspect, the present invention is directed
to a bispecific antibody comprising the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof.
[0087] In the present invention, the bispecific antibody means an
antibody form in which one of the two arms of the antibody
comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof according to the present invention, and the other arm
comprises either an antibody specific for an antigen other than
hIL-2, preferably a cancer-related antigen or an immune checkpoint
protein antigen, or an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof
which binds specifically to an immune effector cell-related
antigen.
[0088] The antigen to which the antibody other than the anti-hIL-2
antibody included in the bispecific antibody binds is a
cancer-related antigen or an immune checkpoint protein antigen,
which may be selected from among Her2, EGFR, VEGF, VEGF-R, CD-20,
MUC16, CD30, CD33, CD52, 4-1BB, TIM3, PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA4, BTLA4,
EphB2, E-selectin, EpCam, CEA, PSMA, PSA, ERB3, c-MET, and the
like, and the immune effector cell-related antigen may be selected
from among, but not limited to, TCR/CD3, CD16 (Fc.gamma.RIIIa),
CD28, CD28, CD44, CD56, CD69, CD64 (Fc.gamma.RI), CD89, CD11b/CD18
(CR3), and the like.
[0089] In another still further aspect, the present invention is
directed to a composition for preventing or treating cancer, which
comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof as an active ingredient.
[0090] In another yet further aspect, the present invention is
directed to a composition for preventing or treating cancer, which
comprises the bispecific antibody or antibody-drug conjugate as an
active ingredient.
[0091] "Cancer" refers to a condition in which cells proliferate
abnormally and excessively due to a problem in the function of
regulating the normal division, differentiation and death of the
cells, and invade the surrounding tissues and organs, thereby
forming a mass and destroying or deforming the existing structures.
"Solid cancer" refers to a cancer which has features
distinguishable from those of blood cancer and which is composed of
a mass caused by abnormal growth of cells in various solid organs,
including bladder, breast, intestines, kidneys, lungs, brain,
esophagus, gallbladder, ovary, pancreas, stomach, cervix, thyroid,
prostate, skin and the like. "Metastatic cancer" is caused by the
metastasis of cancer cells, separated from a primary cancer site,
to another site through blood, lymphatic vessels or the like, and
proliferation of the metastasized cancer cells. The composition of
the present invention can be used for the prevention or treatment
of solid cancers and/or metastatic cancers. The composition of the
present invention may be used for the prevention or treatment of,
but not limited to, for example, skin cancer, breast cancer,
colorectal cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, brain
cancer, esophageal cancer, gallbladder cancer, ovarian cancer,
pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, uterine cervical cancer, thyroid
cancer, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer, but is not limited
thereto.
[0092] As used herein, the term "preventing/prevention" refers to
all actions that inhibit the metastasis, growth, and the like of
cancers or delay the onset of cancers by administering the
composition. As used herein, the term "treating/treatment" refers
to any action resulting in improvements in symptoms of cancers or
the beneficial alteration of cancers owing to the administration of
the composition.
[0093] The composition of the present invention may further
comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The carrier that is
typically used in the formulation of drugs may be one or more
selected from the group consisting of, but not limited to, lactose,
dextrose, sucrose, sorbitol, mannitol, starch, gum acacia, calcium
phosphate, alginate, gelatin, calcium silicate, microcrystalline
cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, cellulose, water, syrups, methyl
cellulose, methylhydroxybenzoate, propylhydroxybenzoate, talc,
magnesium stearate, and mineral oil. In addition, the composition
may further comprise one or more selected from the group consisting
of excipients, lubricants, wetting agents, sweeteners, aromatics,
emulsifiers, suspensions, and preservatives.
[0094] The composition or pharmaceutical composition of the
antibody may be administered orally or parenterally. Such a
parenteral administration includes intravenous injection,
subcutaneous injection, intramuscular injection, intraperitoneal
injection, endothelial administration, topical administration,
nasal administration, intrapulmonary administration, intrarectal
administration, etc. Because a protein or peptide is digested when
administered orally, it is preferred that a composition for oral
administration may be formulated to coat an active substance or to
be protected against degradation in stomach. Also, the composition
may be administered by any device which can transport active
substances to target cells.
[0095] The content of the anti-hIL-2 antibody (TCB2 mAb) in the
composition may vary depending on various factors such as
formulation method, administration method, age, body weight, sex or
pathological condition of the patient, diet, administration time,
administration interval, administration route, excretion rate and
reaction sensitivity. For example, a daily administration dosage of
the anti-hIL-2 antibody (TCB2 mAb) may be in the range from 0.001
to 1,000 mg/kg, specifically 0.01 to 100 mg/kg, more specifically
0.1 to 50 mg/kg, but is not limited thereto. The effective dose for
single administration of the anti-hIL-2 antibody (TCB2 mAb) may be
formulated as one formulation in a unit-dose form or formulated in
an appropriate amount, or prepared by injecting into a
multiple-dose vial. The "pharmaceutically effective dose" as used
herein may refer to the content or the dose of an active ingredient
capable of exhibiting a desired a pharmacological effect, and can
be determined variously depending on various factors such as
formulation method, administration method, age, body weight, sex or
pathological condition of the patient, diet, administration time,
administration interval, administration route, excretion rate and
reaction sensitivity.
[0096] The composition may be formulated with pharmaceutically
acceptable carriers and/or excipients according to a method that
can be easily carried out by a person having an ordinary skill in
the art to which the present invention pertains, and may be
provided in a unit-dose form or enclosed in a multiple-dose vial.
Here, the formulation of the composition may be in the form of a
solution, a suspension, syrup or an emulsion in oily or aqueous
medium, or may be extracts, powders, granules, tablets or capsules,
and may further include a dispersion agent or a stabilizer. Also,
the composition may be administered individually or in combination
with other therapeutic agents.
[0097] In particular, the composition including the anti-hIL-2
antibody (TCB2 mAb) includes an antibody, and thus may be
formulated into immuno liposome. Liposome including an antibody may
be prepared according to a method well known in the pertinent art.
The immuno liposome is a lipid composition including
phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and polyethyleneglycol-derived
phosphatidylethanolamine, and may be prepared by reverse phase
evaporation method. For example, a Fab' fragment of the antibody
may be conjugated to liposome through disulfide exchange
reaction.
[0098] In another yet further aspect, the present invention is
directed to a co-administration composition for cancer treatment,
which comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof and an immune checkpoint inhibitor.
[0099] In the present invention, the immune checkpoint inhibitor
(also, called "checkpoint inhibitor") may be an anti-CTLA-4
antibody or an anti-PD-1 antibody, but is not limited thereto.
[0100] As used herein, the term "co-administration" (also, called
"combination") means that the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof and the immune checkpoint
inhibitor may be administered simultaneously, sequentially, or in
reverse order, and the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof and the immune checkpoint inhibitor may be
administered in a combination of appropriate effective amounts of
the active ingredients within the range determined by those skilled
in the art.
[0101] In an example of the present invention, it was found that
when the anti-CTLA-4 or anti-PD-1 antibody and the anti-hIL-2
antibody according to the present invention are treated
sequentially, the growth of tumor cells is further suppressed.
[0102] The co-administration composition includes the anti-hIL-2
antibody, and the components related thereto are the same as the
components included in the above-described composition for
preventing or treating cancer. Thus, the description of each
constitution applies equally to the co-administration
composition.
[0103] In another yet further aspect, the present invention is
directed to a method for prevention and/or treatment of cancer,
which comprises a step of administering to a patient a
therapeutically effective amount of the anti-hIL-2 antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof, the bispecific antibody or the
antibody-drug conjugate.
[0104] The composition of the present invention may be administered
as an individual therapeutic agent or in combination with other
therapeutic agents, and may be administered sequentially or
simultaneously with conventional therapeutic agents.
[0105] Any anticancer drug, for example, cisplatin, has side
effects such as cachexia, sarcopenia, muscle wasting, bone wasting
or involuntary body weight loss. Thus, the present invention may
include a composition or a cancer treatment method, which treats
cancer while preventing, minimizing or lowering the severity,
frequency or occurrence of cachexia, sarcopenia, muscle wasting,
bone wasting or involuntary body weight loss.
[0106] The method comprises a step of administering a
pharmaceutical composition comprising an effective amount of the
anti-hIL-2 antibody of the present invention in combination with at
least one anticancer agent. In particular embodiments, the present
invention includes a method which treats cancer while preventing,
minimizing or lowering the severity, frequency or occurrence of
cachexia, sarcopenia, muscle wasting, bone wasting or involuntary
body weight loss, the method comprising a step of administering to
a patient a pharmaceutical composition comprising an effective
amount of the anti-hIL-2 antibody of the present invention in
combination with one or more anticancer agents known to induce or
increase the severity, frequency or occurrence of cachexia,
sarcopenia, muscle wasting, bone wasting or involuntary body weight
loss.
[0107] In another yet further aspect, the present invention is
directed to a method for treating cancer, which comprises a step of
co-administering a composition comprising the anti-hIL-2 antibody
or antigen-binding fragment thereof with an immune checkpoint
inhibitor.
[0108] In the method for treating cancer according to the present
invention, the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof and the immune checkpoint inhibitor may be administered
simultaneously, sequentially, or in reverse order. Preferably, the
method may comprise the steps of: (A) treating with an immune
checkpoint inhibitor; and (B) treating with the anti-hIL-2 antibody
or antigen-binding fragment thereof, but is not limited
thereto.
[0109] The immune checkpoint inhibitor may be an anti-CTLA-4
antibody or an anti-PD-1 antibody, but is not limited thereto. The
method for treating cancer includes the composition comprising the
anti-hIL-2 antibody, and the components related thereto are the
same as the components included in the above-described composition.
Thus, the description of each constitution applies equally to the
method of treating cancer by co-administration.
[0110] In another yet further aspect, the present invention is
directed to the use of the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof for the prevention or treatment of cancer.
[0111] In another yet further aspect, the present invention is
directed to the use of the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding
fragment thereof for the preparation of a medicine for the
prevention or treatment of cancer.
[0112] In another yet further aspect, the present invention is
directed to a composition for enhancing vaccine efficacy, which
comprises the anti-hIL-2 antibody or antigen-binding fragment
thereof as an active ingredient.
[0113] As used herein, the term "vaccine" refers to a biological
agent containing an antigen that immunizes a living body, and means
an immunogenic or antigenic substance that produces immunity in
vivo by its administration to humans or animals in order to prevent
infection.
EXAMPLES
[0114] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in
further detail with reference to examples. It will be obvious to a
person having ordinary skill in the art that these examples are for
illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed to limit the
scope of the present invention.
Example 1: Experiment on the Binding Specificity of TCB2 Monoclonal
Antibody Against hIL-2
[0115] In vivo mouse models were used to evaluate the therapeutic
efficacy of a hIL-2/TCB2 mAb complex. For this reason, in order to
examine whether TCB2 mAb shows cross-reactivity with mouse IL-2
(mIL-2), the binding specificity TCB2 mAb against hIL-2 was tested.
First, the splenocytes of BALB/c mice immunized 3-4 times with
hIL-2 over several weeks were fused with SP/2 myeloma cells. When
the hybridoma colony was visualized, the culture supernatant was
subjected to ELISA. 5 .mu.g/ml of hIL-2 or mIL-2 was added to and
mixed with PBS, and a total of 50 .mu.l of the mixture was coated
on an ELISA plate. Next, 200 .mu.l of 10% FBS was added to the PBS
and incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes in order to
prevent non-specific binding, and a titrated dose of the monoclonal
antibody was incubated for 30 minutes. The binding of the
monoclonal antibody to the coated hIL-2 or mIL-2 was detected with
anti-mouse IgG HRP or anti-rat IgG HRP. In each step, the plate was
washed 3-5 times with 200 .mu.l of PBS. As positive controls,
commercially available monoclonal antibodies were used. As a
positive control for hIL-2, Mab602 was used, and as positive
controls for mIL-2, JES6-1 and S4B6 were used.
[0116] As a result, Mab602 used as the positive control for hIL-2
showed low cross-reactivity, whereas TCB2 mAb showed no
cross-reactivity with mIL-2 (FIG. 1). Thus, it could be seen that
TCB2 mAb did specifically bind only to hIL-2.
Example 2: In Vivo Immunostimulatory Effect of hIL-2/TCB2
Complex
[0117] MAB602, a previously reported mouse anti-hIL-2 mAb,
stimulated human CD8.sup.+ T cells in humanized mice, thus
demonstrating the efficacy of a hIL-2/mAb complex for anticancer
immunotherapy in clinical applications. However, the sequence of
the CDR region of MAB602 was not published, and it is unclear
whether MAB602 is an antibody which has a maximum anticancer effect
when used as a hIL-2/anti-hIL-2 mAb complex. Thus, it was attempted
to develop an excellent hIL-2 mAb that induces the maximum
activation of CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells and the minimum
expansion of Treg cells.
[0118] On days 0, 1, 2 and 3, a hIL-2/TCB2 mAb (0.8 .mu.g/8 .mu.g)
complex was injected into B6 mice, and on day 5, the extent of cell
expansion of splenic CD8.sup.+ T cells and Treg cells was analyzed.
The hIL-2/TCB2 complex minimized expansion of Treg cells and CD4 T
cells, but induced a strong expansion of CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK
cells (FIG. 2). Specifically, when the hIL-2/TCB2 mAb complex were
injected, memory phenotype (MP) CD8.sup.+ T cells were about
59-fold expanded, and the expanded MP CD8.sup.+ T cells constituted
the majority of CD8.sup.+ T cells. NK cells were also 18-fold
expanded, but Treg cells were only about 5-fold expanded, which was
lower than the extent of expansion of CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK
cells. The effective ratio of MP CD8.sup.+ T cells to expanded Treg
cells was 970% for the hIL-2/TCB2 mAb complex. Therefore, it can be
seen that TCB2 mAb is a monoclonal antibody that selectively
stimulates CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells, not Treg cells.
[0119] In addition, the effective ratio of MP CD8.sup.+ T cells to
expanded Treg cells was 970% for the hIL-2/TCB2 mAb complex, but
530% for the hIL-2/MAB602 complex (FIG. 2D). Thus, TCB2 is a
monoclonal antibody superior to MAB602.
Example 3: Analysis of the Affinity of TCB2 for hIL-2
[0120] The selective stimulation of CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells
by the TCB2 antibody requires that the antibody be bound to the
epitope of hIL-2. Since the epitope of hIL-2 is also recognized by
high-affinity IL-2R (CD25), TCB2 is likely to bind to hIL-2 near a
site to which the IL-2R.alpha. chain binds. Since MAB602 is also
likely to bind to hIL-2 near a site to which the IL-2R.alpha. chain
binds, TCB2 was analyzed competitively with MAB602 in order to
observe the specificity of TCB2 which is an anti-hIL-2 mAb. Another
anti-hIL-2 mAb (5344.111), which is available commercially and
known to bind to an epitope different from an epitope to which
MAB602 binds, was used as a control.
[0121] For detection of hIL-2, sandwich ELISA was used. 900 RU
(Rmax=90) of anti-hIL-2 clones were immobilized on a CM5 chip by
amine coupling. A 2-fold dilution (100 nM) of hIL-2 was allowed to
flow on the chip at a rate of 10 .mu.l/min for 3 minutes, and then
dissociation of the hIL-2 was monitored for 10 minutes.
[0122] From the competitive analysis, it was found that TCB2
competed with MAB602. It was shown that, due to its specificity,
TCB2 mAb did not compete with 5344.111, but completed with MAB602.
As a result, it was confirmed that TCB2 had a higher affinity for
human IL-2 than other anti-hIL-2 mAbs (FIG. 3).
Example 4: Anti-Tumor Effect of hIL-2/TCB2 Complex
Example 4-1: Effect of TCB2 mAb Against Solid Tumor
[0123] In order to demonstrate the clinical usefulness of TCB2 mAb
against a solid tumor, 1.times.10.sup.6 B16F10 melanoma cells were
injected subcutaneously into B6 mice, and then PBS, hIL-2 (0.8
.mu.g) alone or the hIL-2/TCB2 (0.8 .mu.g/8 .mu.g) complex was
injected on days 4 to 7. Next, tumor progression was monitored for
7 days.
[0124] As a result, inhibition of solid tumor growth had a
correlation with the magnitude of cytokine-induced expansion of
CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK cells (FIG. 4). The hIL-2/TCB2 mAb complex
inhibited tumor growth better than hIL-2 alone.
Example 4-2: Effect of TCB2 mAb Against Metastatic Tumor
[0125] In order to demonstrate the clinical usefulness of TCB2 mAb
against a metastatic tumor, 3.times.10.sup.3 B16F10 melanoma cells
were injected intravenously into B6 mice. 7 Days after tumor
injection, hIL-2 alone (0.8 .mu.g) or the hIL-2/TCB2 (0.8.mu./8
.mu.g) complex was injected from day 7 to day 10. On day 18, the
number of pulmonary tumor nodules was measured.
[0126] As a result, inhibition of the hIL-2/TCB2 well inhibited of
pulmonary tumor nodules, unlike hIL-2 (FIG. 5). Thus, it can be see
that TCB2 mAb has a potent anticancer effect when used as the
hIL-2/TCB2 mAb complex.
Example 5: Analysis of the Effect of Combination of hIL-2/TCB2
Complex and Other Anticancer Therapies
[0127] Anticancer therapies, which are currently developed
worldwide, include a method that immunizes patients with a tumor
neo-antigen, and a method that uses checkpoint inhibitors such as
anti-CTLA-4 antibodies or anti-PD-1 antibodies. In this Example,
whether the hIL-2/TCB2 complex can be used in combination with
these anticancer therapies was analyzed.
Example 5-1: Effect of Combination of hIL-2/TCB2 Complex and
Anticancer Therapy Based on Neo-Antigen
[0128] In order to test the compatibility of the hIL-2/TCB2 complex
with neo-antigen-based therapy, 1.times.10.sup.6 B16F10 cells were
injected subcutaneously into B6 mice on day 0. Next, PBS or a
mixture of TRP2 peptide (100 .mu.g) and Poly I:C (100 .mu.g) was
injected on days 3 and 7. The hIL-2/TCB2 complex (0.8 .mu.g/8
.mu.g) was injected in two rounds of four daily injections on days
4 to 7 and days 11 to 14. Next, tumor progression was monitored for
5 days.
[0129] As a result, injection of the hIL-2/TCB2 complex and the
neo-antigen-based therapy inhibited the growth of the B16F10 tumor
to similar extents. However, when the mice were co-treated with the
hIL-2/TCB2 complex and the neo-antigen-based therapy, tumor growth
was more inhibited (FIG. 6). Thus, it can be seen that the
hIL-2/TCB2 complex can be used in combination with the
neo-antigen-based therapy.
Example 5-2: Effect of Combination of hIL-2/TCB2 Complex and
Checkpoint Inhibitor
[0130] To test whether the hIL-2/TCB2 complex can be used in
combination with checkpoint inhibitors, CT26 (Balb/C colon cancer
and MC38 (B6 colon cancer) models were used. After treatment with
the hIL-2/TCB2 complex in combination with anti-CTLA-4 antibody or
anti-PD-1 antibody or treatment with each of these antibodies,
tumor growth was observed.
[0131] For an experiment in which mice were treated with the
hIL-2/TCB2 complex in combination with the anti-CTLA-4 antibody,
5.times.10.sup.3 CT26 cells were injected subcutaneously into
Balb/C mice (day 0), and the anti-CTLA-4 antibody (100 .mu.g) was
injected three times at 3-day intervals from day 7. The hIL-2/TCB2
complex (0.8 .mu.g/8 .mu.g) was injected once a day from day 8 to
day 11 (four times). As a result, the anti-CTLA-4 antibody strongly
inhibited growth of the CT26 tumor, and the tumor was rejected in
33% of the mice. In the mice injected with the hIL-2/TCB2 complex,
tumor growth was less inhibited than that in the mice injected with
the anti-CTLA-4 antibody. However, when the mice were treated with
the anti-CTLA-4 antibody combination with the hIL-2/TCB2 complex,
tumor growth was more inhibited than treatment with the anti-CTLA-4
antibody, and the tumor was rejected in 63% of the mice (FIG.
7).
[0132] For an experiment in which mice were treated with the
hIL-2/TCB2 complex in combination with the anti-PD-1 antibody,
5.times.10.sup.3 MC38 cells were injected subcutaneously into B6
mice (day 0). Then, the anti-PD-1 antibody (100 .mu.g) was injected
three times at 3-day intervals from day 7, and the hIL-2/TCB2
complex (1.5 .mu.g/15 .mu.g) was injected once a day from day 8 to
day 11 (four times). As a result, treatment with the anti-PD-1
antibody was not effective in delaying tumor growth (the anti-PD-1
antibody was used at a dose lower than the optimum dose), but
treatment with the hIL-2/TCB2 complex strongly inhibited the growth
of the MC38 tumor and rejected the tumor in 37% of the mice. When
the hIL-2/TCB2 complex and the anti-PD-1 antibody were injected
together, the tumor was rejected in 100% of the mice (FIG. 8).
Example 5-3: Effect on Memory Response Acquisition in Immune
Anticancer Therapy with hIL-2/TCB2 Complex
[0133] In order to examine whether mice that rejected a tumor would
acquire a memory response to the same tumor, 5.times.10.sup.3 MC38
cells were injected into naive B6 mice (that have never been
inoculated with a tumor) or the mice that rejected the tumor by
hIL-2/TCB2 in Example 5-2 (day 25). The MC38 tumor grew rapidly in
the naive B6 mice injected with it, but it did not grow in the mice
that rejected the tumor (FIG. 8). This suggests that immunotherapy
with the hIL-2/TCB2 complex is particularly helpful in preventing
cancer recurrence in patients.
[0134] Taking these results together, it can be seen that the
hIL-2/TCB2 complex may be used in combination with checkpoint
inhibitors such as anti-CTLA-4 antibody or anti-PD-1 antibody and
is more effective when used in combination with these checkpoint
inhibitors.
Example 6: Sequencing of TCB2 Monoclonal Antibody
[0135] The complementarity determining region (CDR) of TCB2 mAb was
sequenced (Tables 1 to 3).
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 DNA sequence and amino Acid Sequence of
variable region of TCB2 antibody Heavy chain Light chain DNA
GAGGTGCAACTGCAGCAGTCTGGGG GACATTGTGATGACCCAGTCTCC sequence
CTGAGCTGGCAAGACCTGGGGCTTC AGCATCCCTGTCCATGGCTATAG of
AGTGAAGTTGTCCTGCAAGGCTTCT GAGAAAAAGTCACCATCAGATGC variable
GGCTACACCTTTACTACCTACTGGA ATAACCAGCACTGATATTGATGA region of
TTCAGTGGGTGAAACAGAGGCCTGG TGATATGAACTGGTACCAGCAGA TCB2
ACAGGGTCTGGAATGGATTGGGGCT AGCCAGGGGAACCTCCTAAGCTC
ATTTATCCTGGAGATGGTGATACTA CTTATTTCAGAAGGCAATACTCT
GGTACATTCAGAATTTCAAGGGCAA TCGTCCTGGAGTCCCATCCCGAT
GGCCACATTGACTGCAGATAAATCC TCTCCAGCAGTGGCTATGGTACA
TCCAGCACAGCCTACATGCAACTCA GATTTTGTTTTTACAATTGAAAA
GCAGCTTGGCATCTGAGGACTCTGC CATGCTCTCAGAAGATGTTGCAG
GGTCTATTACTGTGCAAGATCCCTG ATTACTACTGTTTGCAAAGTGAT
GCAACTCGGGGCTTCTATGCTATGG AACTTGCCGTACACGTTCGGAGG
ACTACTGGGGTCAAGGAACCTCAGT GGGGACCAAGCTGGAAATAAAA CACCGTCTCCTCA (SEQ
ID NO: 2) (SEQ ID NO: 1) Amino Acid EVQLQQSGAELARPGASVKLSCKAS
DIVMTQSPASLSMAIGEKVTIRC Sequence GYTFTTYWIQWVKQRPGQGEWIGAI
ITSTDIDDDMNWYQQKPGEPPKL of YPGDGDTRYIQNFKGKATLTADKSS
LISEGNTLRPGVPSRFSSSGYGT variable STAYMQLSSLASEDSAVYYCARSLA
DFVFTIENMLSEDVADYYCLQSD region of TRGFYAMDYWGQGTSVTVSS
NLPYTFGGGTKLEIK TCB2 (SEQ ID NO: 3) (SEQ ID NO: 4)
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 CDR DNA sequence of TCB2 antibody SEQ
Variable ID region CDR DNA sequence NO: Heavy chain CDR1
ACCTACTGGATTCAG 5 CDR2 GCTATTTATCCTGGAGATGGTGATACTA 6
GGTACATTCAGAATTTCAAGGGC CDR3 TCCCTGGCAACTCGGGGCTTCTATGCTA 7
TGGACTAC Light chain CDR1 ATAACCAGCACTGATATTGATGATGATA 8 TGAAC CDR2
GAAGGCAATACTCTTCGTCCT 9 CDR3 TTGCAAAGTGATAACTTGCCGTACACG 10
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 CDR amino acid sequence of TCB2 antibody SEQ
Variable ID region CDR Amino acid sequence NO: Heavy chain CDR1
TYWIQ 11 CDR2 AIYPGDGDTRYIQNFKG 12 CDR3 SLATRGFYAMDY 13 Light chain
CDR1 ITSTDIDDDMN 14 CDR2 EGNTLRP 15 CDR3 LQSDNLPYT 16
[0136] It can be seen that the amino acid sequence of TCB2 differs
from that of Nara1 (Table 4) which is an anti-hIL-mAb antibody
recently developed by Onur Boyman and Natalia Ramirez (WO
2016005950 A1). The CDR similarities between TCB2 and Nara1 are
40%, 52.94% and 8.33% for heavy-chain CDRs 1 to 3, respectively,
and 33.33%, 14.28% and 55.55% for light-chain CDRs 1 to 3 (Table
5).
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 CDR amino acid sequence of Nara1 antibody
SEQ Variable ID region CDR Amino acid sequence NO: Heavy chain CDR1
NYLIE 17 CDR2 VINPGSGGTNYNEKFKG 18 CDR3 WRGDGYYAYFDV 19 Light chain
CDR1 KASQSVDYDGDSYMN 20 CDR2 AASNLES 21 CDR3 QQSNEDPYT 22
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Comparison of CDR amino acid sequence
between TCB2 and Nara1 antibodies Number of the Length same
residues of amino Variable of Nara1 and acid of Similarity region
CDR TCB2 Nara1 (%) TCB2 CDR1 2 5 40 Heavy CDR2 9 17 52.94 chain
CDR3 1 12 8.33 TCB2 CDR1 5 15 33.33 Light CDR2 1 7 14.28 chain CDR3
5 9 55.55
[0137] Based on the sequencing data, the Fab region of TCB2 mAb was
cloned into an IgG2 expression vector. The amino acid sequence of
the cloned vector is shown in Table 6 below.
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Amino acid sequence of human chimeric TCB2
Amino acid sequence Heavy
EVQLQQSGAELARPGASVKLSCKASGYTFTTYWIQWVKQRPGQ chain
GLEWIGAIYPGDGDTRYIQNFKGKATLTADKSSSTAYMQLSSL
ASEDSAVYYCARSLATRGFYAMDYWGQGTSVTVSSASTKGPSV
FPLAPCSRSTSESTAALGCLVKDYFPEPVTVSWNSGALTSGVH
TFPAVLQSSGLYSLSSVVTVPSSNFGTQTYTCNVDHKPSNTKV
DKTVERKCCVECPPCPAPPVAGPSVFLFPPKPKDTLMISRTPE
VTCVVVDVSHEDPEVQFNWYVDGVEVHNAKTKPREEQFNSTFR
VVSVLIVVHQDWLNGKEYKCKVSNKGLPAPIEKTISKTKGQPR
EPQVYTLPPSREEMTKNQVSLTCLVKGFYPSDIAVEWESNGQP
ENNYKTTPPMLDSDGSFFLYSKLTVDKSRWQQGNVFSCSVMHE ALHNHYTQKSLSLSPGK (SEQ
ID NO: 23) Light DIVMTQSPASLSMAIGEKVTIRCITSTDIDDDMNWYQQKPGEP chain
PKLLISEGNTLRPGVPSRFSSSGYGTDFVFTIENMLSEDVADY
YCLQSDNLPYTFGGGTKLEIKRTVAAPSVFIFPPSDEQLKSGT
ASVVCLLNNFYPREAKVQWKVDNALQSGNSQESVTEQDSKDST
YSLSSTLTLSKADYEKHKVYACEVTHQGLSSPVTKSFNRGEC (SEQ ID NO: 24)
Example 7: Humanized TCB2 Antibody
[0138] In order to reduce the host immune response to mouse IgG,
TCB2 mAb was humanized and expressed with human IgG1 Fc (Table 7).
The CDR of mouse TCB2 (mTCB2) was introduced into the variable
region of human IgG. Then, for an in vivo experiment, three
humanized TCB2 (hnTCB2) mAb clones (VH1+VL2, VH2+VL2, and AH03463
(VL03463+VH03463)) having the highest affinity were selected (Table
8).
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 DNA sequence and amino acid sequence of
variable region of humanized TCB2 Amino acid DNA sequence sequence
VL03463 Light GACATTCAGATGACCCAGAGCCCTTCCAGCC DIQMTQSPSSLSA Chain
TGAGCGCCAGCGTCGGGGACAGAGTGACCAT SVGDRVTITCITS
TACCTGCATTACCTCCACAGACATTGACGAT TDIDDDMNWYQQK
GACATGAACTGGTACCAGCAGAAGCCAGGGA PGKAPKLLIYEGN
AAGCCCCCAAGCTGCTGATCTATGAGGGAAA TLRPGVPSRFSSS
TACTCTGCGGCCCGGCGTGCCTAGCAGATTC GSGTDFTFTISSL
AGCTCCTCTGGCTCTGGGACCGATTTCACCT QPEDIATYYCLQS
TTACAATCAGTTCACTGCAGCCCGAAGACAT DNLPYTFGGGTKL
TGCTACATACTATTGCCTGCAGAGCGACAAC EIK CTGCCTTACACCTTCGGGGGAGGGACCAAAC
(SEQ ID NO: 26) TGGAAATCAAA (SEQ ID NO: 25) VH03463 Heavy
GAAGTGCAGCTGGTGCAGAGCGGAGCAGAAG EVQLVQSGAEVKK Chain
TGAAAAAGCCTGGGGCAAGCGTGAAGGTGTC PGASVKVSCKASG
CTGTAAAGCAAGCGGATATACATTCACCACA YTFTTYWIQWVKQ
TACTGGATCCAGTGGGTGAAGCAGGCACCAG APGQGLEWMGAIY
GACAGGGACTGGAGTGGATGGGAGCAATCTA PGDGDTRYIQNFK
CCCTGGAGACGGCGATACACGATATATTCAG GRVTMTRDTSTST
AACTTCAAAGGCCGGGTGACTATGACCAGAG VYMELSSLRSEDT
ACACATCTACTAGTACCGTCTATATGGAGCT AVYYCARSLATRG
GAGCTCCCTGAGGAGCGAAGATACCGCTGTC FYAMDYWGQGTLV
TACTATTGCGCCCGCTCTCTGGCTACAAGAG TVSS
GGTTCTACGCTATGGATTATTGGGGACAGGG (SEQ ID NO: 28)
GACACTGGTCACCGTCAGCAGC (SEQ ID NO: 27) VL2 Light
GACATCGTGATGACCCAGAGCCCCAGTTCCC DIVMTQSPSSLSA Chain
TGAGCGCCAGCGTCGGAGACAGAGTGACTAT SVGDRVTIRCITS
TAGGTGTATTACTTCCACAGATATTGACGAT TDIDDDMNWYQQK
GACATGAACTGGTACCAGCAGAAGCCAGGCA PGKAPKLLISEGN
AAGCCCCCAAGCTGCTGATCAGCGAGGGAAA TLRPGVPSRFSGS
TACTCTGCGACCAGGAGTGCCTTCTAGATTC GYGTDFTFTISSL
TCTGGCAGTGGGTATGGAACCGATTTCACCT QPEDIADYYCLQS
TTACAATCAGCTCCCTGCAGCCCGAAGATAT DNLPYTFGGGTKL
TGCTGACTACTATTGCCTGCAGAGCGATAAC EIK CTGCCATACACCTTCGGCGGGGGGACCAAAC
(SEQ ID NO: 30) TGGAAATCAAA (SEQ ID NO: 29) VH1 Heavy
CAGGTGCAGCTGGTCCAGTCAGGAGCAGAAG QVQLVQSGAEVKK Chain
TCAAGAAGCCCGGAGCAAGCGTCAAAGTGTC PGASVKVSCKASG
ATGCAAAGCAAGCGGATATACATTTACCACA YTFTTYWIQWVRQ
TACTGGATCCAGTGGGTGCGACAGGCACCAG APGQGLEWMGAIY
GACAGGGACTGGAGTGGATGGGAGCAATCTA PGDGDTRYIQNFK
CCCTGGAGACGGCGATACAAGATATATTCAG GRVTMTRDTSTST
AACTTCAAGGGCCGGGTGACTATGACCAGAG VYMELSSLRSEDT
ACACATCTACTAGTACCGTCTATATGGAGCT AVYYCARSLATRG
GAGCTCCCTGAGGAGCGAAGATACCGCTGTC FYAMDYWGQGTLV
TACTATTGCGCCCGCTCTCTGGCTACAAGGG TVSS
GGTTCTACGCAATGGATTACTGGGGGCAGGG (SEQ ID NO: 32)
GACACTGGTCACCGTCTCATCA (SEQ ID NO: 31) VH2 Heavy
CAGGTCCAGCTGGTCCAGAGCGGAGCCGAGG QVQLVQSGAEVKK Chain
TGAAGAAGCCCGGAGCAAGCGTCAAACTGTC PGASVKLSCKASG
ATGCAAGGCAAGCGGATACACTTTCACCACA YTFTTYWIQWVKQ
TACTGGATCCAGTGGGTGAAGCAGGCACCAG APGQGLEWIGAIY
GACAGGGACTGGAGTGGATCGGAGCAATCTA PGDGDTRYIQNFK
CCCTGGAGACGGCGATACACGGTATATTCAG GRVTMTADTSTST
AACTTCAAAGGCAGAGTGACTATGACCGCTG VYMELSSLRSEDT
ACACATCTACTAGTACCGTCTATATGGAGCT AVYYCARSLATRG
GAGCTCCCTGAGGAGCGAAGATACCGCCGTC FYAMDYWGQGTLV
TACTATTGCGCCCGGTCTCTGGCTACAAGGG TVSS
GCTTTTATGCTATGGATTATTGGGGACAGGG (SEQ ID NO: 34)
CACACTGGTCACCGTCTCATCT (SEQ ID NO: 33)
[0139] Residues in the amino acid sequence of VL03463, which were
different from those in VL2, were underlined. For comparison of the
sequence of the heavy-chain region, residues in VH2 and VH03463,
which were different from those in VH1, were underlined. VL2 was
used together with VH1 or VH2 to express two different humanized
TCB2 antibodies (VL2+VH1 or VL2+VH2).
TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Affinity of humanized TCB2 for hIL-2
Relative similarity of humanized TCB2 to mAbs Ka (1/Ms) Kd (1/s) KD
(M) chimeric TCB2 Set Chimeric 2.27E+07 1.63E-03 7.17E-11 1 VH1 +
VL2 1.89E+07 1.97E-03 1.04E-10 68.9%.sup. VH2 + VL2 1.68E+07
4.63E-03 2.75E-10 26% Set Chimeric 2.29E+07 1.41E-03 6.16E-11 2
AH03463 2.11E+07 4.18E-03 1.98E-10 31%
[0140] To compare the immune cell activation function between
original mouse TCB2, human chimeric TCB2 (hcTCB2) and humanized
TCB2 (hnTCB2), hIL-2 was allowed to form complexes with different
TCB2s (mouse TCB2 (mTCB2), hcTCB2, and hnTCB2). Each of the
complexes was injected into B6 mice once a day from day 0 to day 3
(four times), and on day 5, the splenic immune cells were analyzed
by flow cytometry. As a result, it was shown that the affinity of
hnTCB2 was slightly lower than that of mTCB2 or hcTCB2 (Table 8),
but the function of hnTCB2 to activate immune cells was similar to
that of mTCB2 (FIG. 9; VL2+VH2 was not indicated due to its low
functionality). Thus, it was demonstrated that mTCB2 was
successfully humanized.
[0141] In order to examine whether hnTCB2 has anticancer activity
in addition to the function of activating immune cells,
5.times.10.sup.5 MC38 cells were injected subcutaneously into B6
mice on day 0, and anti-PD-1 antibody (200 .mu.g) was injected
three times at 3-day intervals from day 7. Next, the hIL-2/hnTCB2
(VL2+VH1, 1.5 .mu.g/15.mu.) complex was injected once a day from
day 8 to day 11 (four times), and then growth of the MC38 tumor was
observed. As a result, growth of the tumor was delayed even by
treatment with a high concentration of the anti-PD-1 antibody
alone, but when the mice were treated with the hIL-2/hnTCB2
complex, growth of the MC38 tumor was strongly inhibited to a level
similar to a level shown in treatment with the hIL-2/mTCB2 complex,
and the tumor was rejected in 40% of the mice. When the
hIL-2/hnTCB2 or hIL-2/mTCB2 complex was injected together with the
anti-PD-1 antibody, the tumor was rejected in 85% of the mice (FIG.
10). Thus, it was confirmed that the function of original mTCB2 was
conserved in humanized TCB2.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0142] The anti-hIL-2 antibody of the present invention binds
specifically to a particular epitope of hIL-2, thereby inhibiting
the binding of the hIL-2 to CD25, thereby minimizing expansion of
Treg cells. In addition, it stimulates the CD8.sup.+ T cells and NK
cells that exhibit anti-tumor activity. Thus, the anti-hIL-2
antibody of the present invention is useful as a new anticancer
therapeutic agent.
[0143] Although the present invention has been described in detail
with reference to the specific features, it will be apparent to
those skilled in the art that this description is only for a
preferred embodiment and does not limit the scope of the present
invention. Thus, the substantial scope of the present invention
will be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
Sequence CWU 1
1
341363DNAArtificial SequenceTCB2 Heavy chain Variable region
1gaggtgcaac tgcagcagtc tggggctgag ctggcaagac ctggggcttc agtgaagttg
60tcctgcaagg cttctggcta cacctttact acctactgga ttcagtgggt gaaacagagg
120cctggacagg gtctggaatg gattggggct atttatcctg gagatggtga
tactaggtac 180attcagaatt tcaagggcaa ggccacattg actgcagata
aatcctccag cacagcctac 240atgcaactca gcagcttggc atctgaggac
tctgcggtct attactgtgc aagatccctg 300gcaactcggg gcttctatgc
tatggactac tggggtcaag gaacctcagt caccgtctcc 360tca
3632321DNAArtificial SequenceTCB2 Light chain Variable region
2gacattgtga tgacccagtc tccagcatcc ctgtccatgg ctataggaga aaaagtcacc
60atcagatgca taaccagcac tgatattgat gatgatatga actggtacca gcagaagcca
120ggggaacctc ctaagctcct tatttcagaa ggcaatactc ttcgtcctgg
agtcccatcc 180cgattctcca gcagtggcta tggtacagat tttgttttta
caattgaaaa catgctctca 240gaagatgttg cagattacta ctgtttgcaa
agtgataact tgccgtacac gttcggaggg 300gggaccaagc tggaaataaa a
3213120PRTArtificial SequenceTCB2 Heavy chain Variable region 3Glu
Val Gln Leu Gln Gln Ser Gly Ala Glu Leu Ala Arg Pro Gly Ala1 5 10
15Ser Val Lys Leu Ser Cys Lys Ala Ser Gly Tyr Thr Phe Thr Thr Tyr
20 25 30Trp Ile Gln Trp Val Lys Gln Arg Pro Gly Gln Gly Glu Trp Ile
Gly 35 40 45Ala Ile Tyr Pro Gly Asp Gly Asp Thr Arg Tyr Ile Gln Asn
Phe Lys 50 55 60Gly Lys Ala Thr Leu Thr Ala Asp Lys Ser Ser Ser Thr
Ala Tyr Met65 70 75 80Gln Leu Ser Ser Leu Ala Ser Glu Asp Ser Ala
Val Tyr Tyr Cys Ala 85 90 95Arg Ser Leu Ala Thr Arg Gly Phe Tyr Ala
Met Asp Tyr Trp Gly Gln 100 105 110Gly Thr Ser Val Thr Val Ser Ser
115 1204107PRTArtificial SequenceTCB2 Light chain Variable region
4Asp Ile Val Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ala Ser Leu Ser Met Ala Ile Gly1 5
10 15Glu Lys Val Thr Ile Arg Cys Ile Thr Ser Thr Asp Ile Asp Asp
Asp 20 25 30Met Asn Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Glu Pro Pro Lys Leu
Leu Ile 35 40 45Ser Glu Gly Asn Thr Leu Arg Pro Gly Val Pro Ser Arg
Phe Ser Ser 50 55 60Ser Gly Tyr Gly Thr Asp Phe Val Phe Thr Ile Glu
Asn Met Leu Ser65 70 75 80Glu Asp Val Ala Asp Tyr Tyr Cys Leu Gln
Ser Asp Asn Leu Pro Tyr 85 90 95Thr Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Leu Glu
Ile Lys 100 105515DNAArtificial SequenceTCB2 Heavy chain CDR1
5acctactgga ttcag 15651DNAArtificial SequenceTCB2 Heavy chain CDR2
6gctatttatc ctggagatgg tgatactagg tacattcaga atttcaaggg c
51736DNAArtificial SequenceTCB2 Heavy chain CDR3 7tccctggcaa
ctcggggctt ctatgctatg gactac 36833DNAArtificial SequenceTCB2 Light
chain CDR1 8ataaccagca ctgatattga tgatgatatg aac 33921DNAArtificial
SequenceTCB2 Light chain CDR2 9gaaggcaata ctcttcgtcc t
211027DNAArtificial SequenceTCB2 Light chain CDR3 10ttgcaaagtg
ataacttgcc gtacacg 27115PRTArtificial SequenceTCB2 Heavy chain CDR1
11Thr Tyr Trp Ile Gln1 51217PRTArtificial SequenceTCB2 Heavy chain
CDR2 12Ala Ile Tyr Pro Gly Asp Gly Asp Thr Arg Tyr Ile Gln Asn Phe
Lys1 5 10 15Gly1312PRTArtificial SequenceTCB2 Heavy chain CDR3
13Ser Leu Ala Thr Arg Gly Phe Tyr Ala Met Asp Tyr1 5
101411PRTArtificial SequenceTCB2 Light chain CDR1 14Ile Thr Ser Thr
Asp Ile Asp Asp Asp Met Asn1 5 10157PRTArtificial SequenceTCB2
Light chain CDR2 15Glu Gly Asn Thr Leu Arg Pro1 5169PRTArtificial
SequenceTCB2 Light chain CDR3 16Leu Gln Ser Asp Asn Leu Pro Tyr
Thr1 5175PRTArtificial SequenceNara1 Heavy chain CDR1 17Asn Tyr Leu
Ile Glu1 51817PRTArtificial SequenceNara1 Heavy chain CDR2 18Val
Ile Asn Pro Gly Ser Gly Gly Thr Asn Tyr Asn Glu Lys Phe Lys1 5 10
15Gly1912PRTArtificial SequenceNara1 Heavy chain CDR3 19Trp Arg Gly
Asp Gly Tyr Tyr Ala Tyr Phe Asp Val1 5 102015PRTArtificial
SequenceNara1 Light chain CDR1 20Lys Ala Ser Gln Ser Val Asp Tyr
Asp Gly Asp Ser Tyr Met Asn1 5 10 15217PRTArtificial SequenceNara1
Light chain CDR2 21Ala Ala Ser Asn Leu Glu Ser1 5229PRTArtificial
SequenceNara1 Light chain CDR3 22Gln Gln Ser Asn Glu Asp Pro Tyr
Thr1 523447PRTArtificial Sequencehuman chimeric TCB2 Heavy chain
Variable region 23Glu Val Gln Leu Gln Gln Ser Gly Ala Glu Leu Ala
Arg Pro Gly Ala1 5 10 15Ser Val Lys Leu Ser Cys Lys Ala Ser Gly Tyr
Thr Phe Thr Thr Tyr 20 25 30Trp Ile Gln Trp Val Lys Gln Arg Pro Gly
Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Ile 35 40 45Gly Ala Ile Tyr Pro Gly Asp Gly Asp
Thr Arg Tyr Ile Gln Asn Phe 50 55 60Lys Gly Lys Ala Thr Leu Thr Ala
Asp Lys Ser Ser Ser Thr Ala Tyr65 70 75 80Met Gln Leu Ser Ser Leu
Ala Ser Glu Asp Ser Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 85 90 95Ala Arg Ser Leu Ala
Thr Arg Gly Phe Tyr Ala Met Asp Tyr Trp Gly 100 105 110Gln Gly Thr
Ser Val Thr Val Ser Ser Ala Ser Thr Lys Gly Pro Ser 115 120 125Val
Phe Pro Leu Ala Pro Cys Ser Arg Ser Thr Ser Glu Ser Thr Ala 130 135
140Ala Leu Gly Cys Leu Val Lys Asp Tyr Phe Pro Glu Pro Val Thr
Val145 150 155 160Ser Trp Asn Ser Gly Ala Leu Thr Ser Gly Val His
Thr Phe Pro Ala 165 170 175Val Leu Gln Ser Ser Gly Leu Tyr Ser Leu
Ser Ser Val Val Thr Val 180 185 190Pro Ser Ser Asn Phe Gly Thr Gln
Thr Tyr Thr Cys Asn Val Asp His 195 200 205Lys Pro Ser Asn Thr Lys
Val Asp Lys Thr Val Glu Arg Lys Cys Cys 210 215 220Val Glu Cys Pro
Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Pro Val Ala Gly Pro Ser Val225 230 235 240Phe
Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr Leu Met Ile Ser Arg Thr 245 250
255Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val Asp Val Ser His Glu Asp Pro Glu
260 265 270Val Gln Phe Asn Trp Tyr Val Asp Gly Val Glu Val His Asn
Ala Lys 275 280 285Thr Lys Pro Arg Glu Glu Gln Phe Asn Ser Thr Phe
Arg Val Val Ser 290 295 300Val Leu Thr Val Val His Gln Asp Trp Leu
Asn Gly Lys Glu Tyr Lys305 310 315 320Cys Lys Val Ser Asn Lys Gly
Leu Pro Ala Pro Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile 325 330 335Ser Lys Thr Lys Gly
Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro Gln Val Tyr Thr Leu Pro 340 345 350Pro Ser Arg
Glu Glu Met Thr Lys Asn Gln Val Ser Leu Thr Cys Leu 355 360 365Val
Lys Gly Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp Ile Ala Val Glu Trp Glu Ser Asn 370 375
380Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr Lys Thr Thr Pro Pro Met Leu Asp
Ser385 390 395 400Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu Tyr Ser Lys Leu Thr Val
Asp Lys Ser Arg 405 410 415Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn Val Phe Ser Cys Ser
Val Met His Glu Ala Leu 420 425 430His Asn His Tyr Thr Gln Lys Ser
Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys 435 440 44524214PRTArtificial
Sequencehuman chimeric TCB2 Light chain Variable region 24Asp Ile
Val Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ala Ser Leu Ser Met Ala Ile Gly1 5 10 15Glu
Lys Val Thr Ile Arg Cys Ile Thr Ser Thr Asp Ile Asp Asp Asp 20 25
30Met Asn Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Glu Pro Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile
35 40 45Ser Glu Gly Asn Thr Leu Arg Pro Gly Val Pro Ser Arg Phe Ser
Ser 50 55 60Ser Gly Tyr Gly Thr Asp Phe Val Phe Thr Ile Glu Asn Met
Leu Ser65 70 75 80Glu Asp Val Ala Asp Tyr Tyr Cys Leu Gln Ser Asp
Asn Leu Pro Tyr 85 90 95Thr Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Leu Glu Ile Lys
Arg Thr Val Ala Ala 100 105 110Pro Ser Val Phe Ile Phe Pro Pro Ser
Asp Glu Gln Leu Lys Ser Gly 115 120 125Thr Ala Ser Val Val Cys Leu
Leu Asn Asn Phe Tyr Pro Arg Glu Ala 130 135 140Lys Val Gln Trp Lys
Val Asp Asn Ala Leu Gln Ser Gly Asn Ser Gln145 150 155 160Glu Ser
Val Thr Glu Gln Asp Ser Lys Asp Ser Thr Tyr Ser Leu Ser 165 170
175Ser Thr Leu Thr Leu Ser Lys Ala Asp Tyr Glu Lys His Lys Val Tyr
180 185 190Ala Cys Glu Val Thr His Gln Gly Leu Ser Ser Pro Val Thr
Lys Ser 195 200 205Phe Asn Arg Gly Glu Cys 21025321DNAArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VL03463 25gacattcaga tgacccagag cccttccagc
ctgagcgcca gcgtcgggga cagagtgacc 60attacctgca ttacctccac agacattgac
gatgacatga actggtacca gcagaagcca 120gggaaagccc ccaagctgct
gatctatgag ggaaatactc tgcggcccgg cgtgcctagc 180agattcagct
cctctggctc tgggaccgat ttcaccttta caatcagttc actgcagccc
240gaagacattg ctacatacta ttgcctgcag agcgacaacc tgccttacac
cttcggggga 300gggaccaaac tggaaatcaa a 32126107PRTArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VL03463 26Asp Ile Gln Met Thr Gln Ser Pro
Ser Ser Leu Ser Ala Ser Val Gly1 5 10 15Asp Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Cys
Ile Thr Ser Thr Asp Ile Asp Asp Asp 20 25 30Met Asn Trp Tyr Gln Gln
Lys Pro Gly Lys Ala Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile 35 40 45Tyr Glu Gly Asn Thr
Leu Arg Pro Gly Val Pro Ser Arg Phe Ser Ser 50 55 60Ser Gly Ser Gly
Thr Asp Phe Thr Phe Thr Ile Ser Ser Leu Gln Pro65 70 75 80Glu Asp
Ile Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Leu Gln Ser Asp Asn Leu Pro Tyr 85 90 95Thr
Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Leu Glu Ile Lys 100 10527363DNAArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VH03463 27gaagtgcagc tggtgcagag cggagcagaa
gtgaaaaagc ctggggcaag cgtgaaggtg 60tcctgtaaag caagcggata tacattcacc
acatactgga tccagtgggt gaagcaggca 120ccaggacagg gactggagtg
gatgggagca atctaccctg gagacggcga tacacgatat 180attcagaact
tcaaaggccg ggtgactatg accagagaca catctactag taccgtctat
240atggagctga gctccctgag gagcgaagat accgctgtct actattgcgc
ccgctctctg 300gctacaagag ggttctacgc tatggattat tggggacagg
ggacactggt caccgtcagc 360agc 36328121PRTArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VH03463 28Glu Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly
Ala Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Ala1 5 10 15Ser Val Lys Val Ser Cys Lys
Ala Ser Gly Tyr Thr Phe Thr Thr Tyr 20 25 30Trp Ile Gln Trp Val Lys
Gln Ala Pro Gly Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Met 35 40 45Gly Ala Ile Tyr Pro
Gly Asp Gly Asp Thr Arg Tyr Ile Gln Asn Phe 50 55 60Lys Gly Arg Val
Thr Met Thr Arg Asp Thr Ser Thr Ser Thr Val Tyr65 70 75 80Met Glu
Leu Ser Ser Leu Arg Ser Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 85 90 95Ala
Arg Ser Leu Ala Thr Arg Gly Phe Tyr Ala Met Asp Tyr Trp Gly 100 105
110Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115 12029321DNAArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VL2 29gacatcgtga tgacccagag ccccagttcc
ctgagcgcca gcgtcggaga cagagtgact 60attaggtgta ttacttccac agatattgac
gatgacatga actggtacca gcagaagcca 120ggcaaagccc ccaagctgct
gatcagcgag ggaaatactc tgcgaccagg agtgccttct 180agattctctg
gcagtgggta tggaaccgat ttcaccttta caatcagctc cctgcagccc
240gaagatattg ctgactacta ttgcctgcag agcgataacc tgccatacac
cttcggcggg 300gggaccaaac tggaaatcaa a 32130107PRTArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VL2 30Asp Ile Val Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ser
Ser Leu Ser Ala Ser Val Gly1 5 10 15Asp Arg Val Thr Ile Arg Cys Ile
Thr Ser Thr Asp Ile Asp Asp Asp 20 25 30Met Asn Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys
Pro Gly Lys Ala Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile 35 40 45Ser Glu Gly Asn Thr Leu
Arg Pro Gly Val Pro Ser Arg Phe Ser Gly 50 55 60Ser Gly Tyr Gly Thr
Asp Phe Thr Phe Thr Ile Ser Ser Leu Gln Pro65 70 75 80Glu Asp Ile
Ala Asp Tyr Tyr Cys Leu Gln Ser Asp Asn Leu Pro Tyr 85 90 95Thr Phe
Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Leu Glu Ile Lys 100 10531363DNAArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VH1 31caggtgcagc tggtccagtc aggagcagaa
gtcaagaagc ccggagcaag cgtcaaagtg 60tcatgcaaag caagcggata tacatttacc
acatactgga tccagtgggt gcgacaggca 120ccaggacagg gactggagtg
gatgggagca atctaccctg gagacggcga tacaagatat 180attcagaact
tcaagggccg ggtgactatg accagagaca catctactag taccgtctat
240atggagctga gctccctgag gagcgaagat accgctgtct actattgcgc
ccgctctctg 300gctacaaggg ggttctacgc aatggattac tgggggcagg
ggacactggt caccgtctca 360tca 36332121PRTArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VH1 32Gln Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly Ala
Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Ala1 5 10 15Ser Val Lys Val Ser Cys Lys Ala
Ser Gly Tyr Thr Phe Thr Thr Tyr 20 25 30Trp Ile Gln Trp Val Arg Gln
Ala Pro Gly Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Met 35 40 45Gly Ala Ile Tyr Pro Gly
Asp Gly Asp Thr Arg Tyr Ile Gln Asn Phe 50 55 60Lys Gly Arg Val Thr
Met Thr Arg Asp Thr Ser Thr Ser Thr Val Tyr65 70 75 80Met Glu Leu
Ser Ser Leu Arg Ser Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 85 90 95Ala Arg
Ser Leu Ala Thr Arg Gly Phe Tyr Ala Met Asp Tyr Trp Gly 100 105
110Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115 12033363DNAArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VH2 33caggtccagc tggtccagag cggagccgag
gtgaagaagc ccggagcaag cgtcaaactg 60tcatgcaagg caagcggata cactttcacc
acatactgga tccagtgggt gaagcaggca 120ccaggacagg gactggagtg
gatcggagca atctaccctg gagacggcga tacacggtat 180attcagaact
tcaaaggcag agtgactatg accgctgaca catctactag taccgtctat
240atggagctga gctccctgag gagcgaagat accgccgtct actattgcgc
ccggtctctg 300gctacaaggg gcttttatgc tatggattat tggggacagg
gcacactggt caccgtctca 360tct 36334121PRTArtificial
Sequencehumanized TCB2_VH2 34Gln Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly Ala
Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Ala1 5 10 15Ser Val Lys Leu Ser Cys Lys Ala
Ser Gly Tyr Thr Phe Thr Thr Tyr 20 25 30Trp Ile Gln Trp Val Lys Gln
Ala Pro Gly Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Ile 35 40 45Gly Ala Ile Tyr Pro Gly
Asp Gly Asp Thr Arg Tyr Ile Gln Asn Phe 50 55 60Lys Gly Arg Val Thr
Met Thr Ala Asp Thr Ser Thr Ser Thr Val Tyr65 70 75 80Met Glu Leu
Ser Ser Leu Arg Ser Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 85 90 95Ala Arg
Ser Leu Ala Thr Arg Gly Phe Tyr Ala Met Asp Tyr Trp Gly 100 105
110Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115 120
* * * * *